A Xemnas Carol
by Ultiman92
Summary: On a snowy winter night, Xemnas finds himself confronted by three Lingering Spirits of past, present, and future...


Hi everyone, here's my Christmas Eve present to all of you! Not sure where this came from, but it's one of the biggest plot bunnies I've had in awhile! Enjoy, and happy holidays!

(Note: If you're not already familiar with Charles Dickens' _A Christmas Carol_, you should read it or this fic will make no sense.)

On with the fic!

* * *

A Xemnas Carol

Xemnas, leader of Organization XIII, walked down the hall. Outside, a light snow was falling.

He passed Saix, who bowed his head in respect. "Superior."

Xemnas turned to him in greeting. "Number VI, would you mind taking care of things for a little while? I think I'll turn in for tonight."

Saix nodded. "As you wish." He portaled out of the hall.

Xemnas continued down the hall, finally stopping at the door marked I. He raised a hand to open the door.

At once, a pale, ghostly face appeared to emerge from the symbol. An old, tired face with blond hair and a beard stared at him.

Xemnas gave a start and examined the door with shock.

The face was gone.

Xemnas moved his hand over the I over and over. Finally, he pushed in the door, shaking his head. _What was IN that soup that Xaldin made…_

Xemnas unzipped his cloak, stepping into a pair of plain white pajamas. He climbed into his four – poster bed, still mulling over the apparition he had seen.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a cold voice wafted through the room.

"_Xehanort.…Xehanort…."_

Xemnas sat bolt upright, surveying the room. "Who dares address me by that name?" he demanded.

"_Oh, Xehanort….how far you have fallen…" _Xemnas whipped his head around to find the source of the voice.

There stood a transparent, robed individual wrapped in chains.

"Ansem…" Xemnas breathed.

His old mentor regarded him critically. _"Ah, you remember my name. It seems you still remember one thing I taught you."_

"You have no right," Xemnas stated, scowling. "What do you mean by tormenting me like this?"

"_I mean to show you the error of your ways, Xehanort,"_ said Ansem. _"Tonight you will be visited by three spirits. Heed their warnings, or face the consequences."_

And with that, he disappeared.

Xemnas leapt out of bed, swiveling his head around the room. "Ansem!" he shouted. "What do you mean? What are these spirits?"

"_Answer me!"_ he roared.

"Boy, oh boy," came a voice from behind him, "You sure haven't lost anything."

Xemnas turned around to see a boy with gravity defying blond hair and wearing a suit of armor shaking his head sorrowfully.

"_Ven?"_ Xemnas choked out.

Ven grinned. "In the flesh. Er, sort of." He rubbed the back of his head ashamedly. "Aqua would've been better about explaining this sort of thing."

"Anyway, down to business. You've screwed up, man. I mean big time." Ven sighed. "You've turned away everything we had, all we hoped for."

"Could you have blamed me?" Xemnas muttered. "I haven't recovered most of my memory until recently. I had no clue who I was, Ven."

"Ansem still gave you something," Ven reminded him. "He helped you just as much as we did."

"That old fool?" Xemnas scoffed. "He limited me, pushed me back. He prevented me from reaching my full potential."

Ven regarded him with sadness. "You really have forgotten. I think it's time I reminded you of the truth."

And with that, a white light filled the room.

When it cleared, Xemnas and Ven found themselves standing in an enormous desert.

"I remember this," Xemnas gasped. "This is where Ansem found me."

Several feet away, a figure was lying facedown.

Xemnas sprinted over, reaching down a hand. To his surprise, his hand passed right through him.

"Yeah...about that," Ven said behind him, "I forgot to mention that no one can see, hear, or feel you here. Sorry."

Xemnas stood up. "What have you brought me here for, then?"

Ven pointed. "Just watch."

Off in the distance, a caravan passed by. Voices floated out. "…rumors that a specific breed of Heartless only exists here…"

The caravan ground to a halt, the speaker inside having spotted the fallen figure.

Ansem came rushing out, scooping up the figure in his arms and calling back to the caravan, "Return to Radiant Garden immediately!"

"See that?" said Ven. "Ansem always had a good heart. He could have just left you there for dead. And how'd you repay him?"

Before Xemnas could respond, the white light overwhelmed him again.

When it cleared, they were now inside Ansem's study, where a furious argument was occurring between Xehanort and Ansem.

"For the last time, I forbid it!" Ansem's voice had risen to a yell.

"Master Ansem, I keep telling you, I will use all precautions! I will not immerse a heart myself fully into darkness, I will leave room for retreat!" Xehanort's impatience was clearly showing.

Ansem shook his head. "You have no idea of the seductive powers of darkness, Xehanort! Once a heart has touched darkness, it is incredibly hard to break free! The experiment you are proposing has an almost certain chance of failure!"

"You underestimate me," Xehanort shot back. "Have I not proved myself in the past? The experiment is risky, I know, but it will work!"

"Do not do it, Xehanort!" Ansem yelled.

"Or what, old man?" Xehanort yelled back.

There was a shocked silence. Ansem slowly sat back down in his seat, covering his face with the palm of his hand. "Do what you like. I don't care anymore."

Xehanort started forward, regret written on his face. "Master Ansem-"

"Just leave," Ansem said tiredly.

Xehanort stared at him, then turned and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Ansem groaned.

"He wanted to protect you, you know," said Ven. "He knew you were getting into something you would have no control over, so he tried all he could to prevent you from diving into darkness. And what did you do? Continue with the experiment just to spite him."

The white light came and went again.

Xehanort was sitting on a throne, smirking to himself. Outside, sounds of explosions and screaming could be heard.

A Large Body Heartless lumbered into the room, carrying a beaten and bloodied Ansem over its shoulder. It unceremoniously dumped him in front of Xehanort, then plod out of the room.

"Hello, Ansem," Xehanort grinned. "Like what I've done with the place?"

"Xehanort, this is insane…" Ansem gasped. "Do you realize what you're doing? You're tearing apart this world, injuring the heart of the world itself!"

Xehanort laughed. "Of course I know what I'm doing. I want that heart for myself. And all the others, too," he added as an afterthought.

Ansem stared at him with growing horror. "You…you wish to form Kingdom Hearts?" he whispered.

Xehanort threw him an incredulous look. "Form it? I will become master of it! Nothing will be able to stand against me!"

"Listen to me, Xehanort," Ansem said desperately, "Kingdom Hearts is too powerful for any one heart to withstand! Your heart will break under the strain! Stop now while you still have a chance!"

Xehanort snapped his fingers. Two Soldier Heartless appeared, giving a rough salute.

"Take him away," Xehanort said dismissively. "There's nothing more I have to say to him."

The Heartless each grabbed one of Ansem's arms, pulling him towards the door.

"You will fall, Xehanort!" Ansem called back. "I only hope I am around to see it!"

"He swore revenge after that," said Ven. "After everything he had done for you, you rewarded him by destroying everything he had worked to build. Did he really deserve that?..."

The white light came and faded, leaving Xemnas alone in his room.

In the inner recesses of his being, Xemnas felt a few tiny echoes of anger. Had he had a heart, he would've been furious.

"Maybe I was ungrateful to Ansem, maybe I wasn't, it doesn't matter!" he yelled to an empty room. "It's in the past, I can't change that!"

"You're right," said a new voice from behind him, "you can't change that. How about I show you some things you can change?"

Xemnas turned around to see a blue – haired girl in armor watching him.

"Hello, Aqua," he said, "I take it you are the second spirit?"

Aqua nodded. "Yes. And I've got something different to show you."

"What is it now?" said Xemnas, barely repressing a groan.

The white light rushed out to meet him. Aqua's voice floated next to him. "These are the consequences on the Worlds produced by your Organization XIII."

Images flashed before Xemnas' eyes. Belle being kidnapped. The destruction of Olympus Coliseum. The theft of cursed gold. The attack on The Land of Dragons. The war of Hollow Bastion.

Xemnas made a "tch" sound as the images continued to flash before his eyes. "Am I supposed to feel sorry?" he asked scornfully. "I don't have emotions, remember?"

Aqua's voice rang in his ears, loud and accusatory. "Is it really necessary to obtain your hearts by doing this? Manipulating and destroying just to add a few more hearts to your moon?"

"You have no right," Xemnas said. "No right at all. You have no idea of what it is like to be a Nobody. Finding our hearts is our only purpose for living."

"There are other ways to get them, surely you know that," Aqua stated reproachfully. "Do you truly believe that this is the best way?"

"Why should you care?" Xemnas asked bitterly. "You know we cannot turn back, not while we are so close."

"If I was a Nobody," Aqua said quietly, "and I did what you are doing to get my heart back, I know that the second I got it, it would be flooded with guilt."

The white light enveloped Xemnas, leaving him alone in his room once again. Echoes of fury resonated within him.

"_You don't understand!"_ Xemnas yelled. _"None of you understand the agony of being a __**Nobody**__!!!"_

"You don't understand…don't understand…" he whispered.

"I understand," came a deep voice from behind him.

A tall, brown – haired knight stood there, watching Xemnas with a stoic expression.

"You…" Xemnas whispered.

"You'd forgotten about me, hadn't you?" Terra asked. "You should know better. I'm not that easy to let go of."

"What do you want?" Xemnas asked, his voice breaking. "I've been tormented by my past enough tonight without you showing up."

"I'm here to show you your future, if you keep on your current path," Terra stated.

"Just get it over with," Xemnas muttered.

The white light shot out to meet him.

The future Xemnas was in a twisting, black and white dimension, wearing a coat that matched. Two Keyblade wielders stood opposite him.

"What is this?" Xemnas asked.

"You're inside Kingdom Hearts, having a final showdown with the Keybearers," Terra answered.

"Final showdown - no, wait…" Xemnas looked confused. "Where's my Organization, they should be here-"

"Faded," Terra stated flatly. "All fell victim to the Keyblade. You are the last remaining Organization member."

Xemnas felt another foreign emotion echoing within him. He recognized it as disbelief.

"All of them followed the path of darkness – and utterly, it led to their downfall," said Terra.

The future Xemnas sprang forward, engaging the Keybearers.

"Roxas."

The future Xemnas spun around, creating clones of himself and attacking with his Aerial Blades

"Larxene."

The two Keybearers jumped, ran, and glided, keeping up with him at every step.

"Marluxia."

The future Xemnas teleported away, saving up his energy.

"Luxord."

A Keybearer glided toward him, hitting him with a Firaga.

"Demyx."

The other one charged forward, attacking with a surge of dark energy.

"Axel."

The future Xemnas stumbled back, taken off guard.

"Saix."

He began using his remaining energies for one last attack.

"Zexion."

The area went dark, and energy bolts started attacking the Keybearers from all directions.

"Lexaeus."

The two Keybearers sprang into action, deflecting every shot.

"Vexen."

Finally, the attack ceased.

"Xaldin."

The future Xemnas backed up, looking horrified.

"Xigbar."

The two aimed a single Keyblade at him…

"And now…_Xemnas_."

The future Xemnas was pierced by a single, blinding shaft of light.

"_**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!**_"

Xemnas sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. He was still in his bed, with no sign of any spirit around.

A knock sounded on the door. Xemnas swallowed, composing himself. "Enter."

Saix stuck his head in cautiously. "Superior, we heard you crying out in your sleep. Is everything all right?"

Xemnas waved him away. "Everything is fine, Number VI. Return to bed."

Saix closed the door.

Xemnas lay down, slightly panting. Thinking over what he had just seen, his mind quickly composed itself.

_I am Xemnas, Superior of Organization XIII. I am a Nobody. I need my heart back. There is nothing I will not do to reach this goal._

His fingers tightened on the sheets. _Nothing._

_The End

* * *

_Oh, c'mon, did you _really_ think he was going to reform? That would be non-canon, now wouldn't it?

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